The unbelievable has come true! Czech team take bronze at the World Junior Championships thanks to a sensational turn at the end after an 8:5 result

Incredible match for bronze! The Czech team managed to turn around a game in which they were down by three goals. The final two minutes were decisive, in which our team managed to score four times and can enjoy a well-deserved celebration.

The beginning of the bronze medal match did not go well at all for the Czech hockey team. At 6:13, the Finns took the lead when Rasmus Kumpulainen dribbled between the circles unchallenged and then headed exactly to the bar.

To make matters worse, Finland doubled their lead exactly a minute and a half after the first goal. Jani Nyman scored after Jesse Pulkkinen and Aleksanteri Kasmimaki interacted. Two goals were enough and Michael Hrabal was out of the net, replaced by Jakub Vondraš.

The goaltending change was good for the Czechs as the Finnish flurry stopped being successful. On the other hand, at 16:16 the Czech Republic got a reduction. Jiri Kulich punished the Finns’ exclusion when he shot from the first after a cross pass and the goalkeeper didn’t have time to move fast enough. Assisted by Tomas Hamara and Matyas Melovsky.

The second period offered goal scoring. At 28:37 we witnessed the second power play of the Czech team and the game was tied. Melovsky’s backhand found a free Jakub Štancl and he shot a wrist shot to the Finnish goalie.

But the celebrations didn’t last long. 15 seconds after the faceoff, the Finns took the lead back when 17-year-old Konsta Helenius found space near the right post. And 19 seconds later, it was even worse. The Czechs left Lenni Hameenah free and he easily increased the score to 4:2 for Finland.

Five minutes later, the Finns pulled within three goals, this time it was Hameenaho again, who dribbled around a defender and beat Vondras with a backhand stick. It seemed to be over, but with a minute left in the second period, the reduction came.

Ondrej Becher got a breakaway on his own shorthanded and he kept his cool in front of the goalie to give the Czechs hope for bronze. It increased after less than five minutes of the third period when our team took advantage of a power play and reduced the deficit thanks to a Kulich shot.

Just when it seemed that Finland was going for the medal, something incredible happened. At 58:04 Becher tied the game and shortly afterwards Hamara sent the Czechs into the lead! The Finns decided to play without a goalie and thanks to that we could see two more goals scored by Rymon and Becher. The Czechs can celebrate the bronze medal.

Source: MJS, Onlajny